Where to stay and dine in Scilly

Staying on St Mary’s

It’s a bright sunny September morning when we lift off from Penzance Airport for the flight to Scilly. Our fixed wing, BN2 Islander Skybus, operated by Isles of Scilly Travel, is the smallest aircraft I’ve ever flown in — eight passengers and a crew of two.* I imagine I can reach across and touch everyone in the plane.

* The Skybus BN2 Islander at Penzance Airport (above). It’s now been replaced by larger DHC6 Twin Otter aircraft that seat 19. Too bad because flying in this little plane was part of the travel adventure. Below,  the islands begin to come into view surrounded by a surprisingly tropical looking sea.

Beneath us, the Atlantic sparkles, a deep, autumnal blue. About 15 minutes into the flight, the ocean begins to take on a Caribbean hue. A scattering of apparently uninhabited islets appear and then we are there, gliding into St Mary’s Airport in the capital of the Isles of Scilly. And without even the usual landing bump.

In the time it takes me to cross about 50 feet of tarmac, my bag is waiting and so is the driver from The Star Castle Hotel where I’ll be staying for the next two nights. It’s a genuine 16th-century fortress and one of the landmarks of the Scillies.

Star Castle – Stay and dine in Scilly with history

The Star Castle was built in 1593, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, to protect the islands from expected Spanish and French invasions that never materialized. It’s an eight-pointed star-shaped stone structure surrounded by garrison walls and atop a steep hill overlooking Hugh Town, the harbour and the sea.

This is a castle in the original sense – a military fortress rather than a noble dwelling. It was converted to a hotel in the 1930s and acquired by the current family owners, who run it as a 4-star hotel, in 2003. The hotel has the sort of features you’d expect of a 16th-century fortress – which can either be quirkily, quaintly charming or claustrophobic, depending upon your taste.

Fortunately, guests who aren’t taken with the character rooms can opt for airy, spacious garden rooms while enjoying some of the castle’s historic public spaces. These include the dining room, an original 16th-century officers’ mess with beamed ceiling and exposed stone walls, and the below ground level bar, once a dungeon. I sample both a garden room and a top floor castle room and to be honest, I find the castle room chilly, dark and in need of some refurbishment. Later, I’m unable to find a photo on the hotel’s website that looks anything like the castle room I’m staying in.

I gather, from reading what other guests have written, that some of the castle rooms are wonderful and others not so much. My advice, unless you have previous knowledge of the castle rooms and know which one you want, choose a garden room. Several of those have private garden areas and sea views.

Travel tip: The road up to the castle from the Hugh Town quay is not very long but extremely steep in places. The first part of this lane is so steep, in fact, that there is a handrail to hang on to for hauling yourself up.  What no one bothered to point out was that just to the left of this very steep route, there is another lane that zigzags up to the castle gate at a much shallower angle. The hotel has a van for collecting guests at the quay or the airport but if you like to be able to pop in and out of your room through the day it’s good to know about this easier way up.